Among many, a common misconception some Western men have about Russian women is that the latter are not interested in having a career, dream to be housewives, and have no plans to work, expecting their husband to take care of them for the rest of their life. However, this is not entirely true.

Most women in Russia get good education (most of them have university degrees) and it is a given that they will have to work. Economic situation is such that most families have to rely on two incomes to provide for the family. It is usually considered a sign of wealth, if a wife can stay at home. However, if a woman is ambitious and is interested in having a job not only for money, but also for the challenge, she will not be interested to stay at home. She will probably get tired of it after a few months.

It is a lot harder for women to create their career in Russia because of the chauvinistic society tendencies, although that has been changing in the recent years. However, most vacancies still mainly hold appeal to males. Gender requirement is not considered discriminatory in Russia, women get paid less, and have far fewer chances for career advancement. Women, who reach certain heights in the business world still have to prove their position every time and will be tested constantly by males in the workplace. All of these factors contribute to Russian women not being overly zealous to build grand careers (unlike women in the West, for example). However, Russian women are generally very hard working, and if they have to work, they will put their best effort to it.

Since Russian women have historically also had to take care of their families and home, many find a lot of satisfaction and pleasure in doing exactly that. They really treasure the family hearth, can surround their husbands with superb care, and will make very thoughtful and gentle mothers.

Establishing a career abroad can be a much more intimidating issue to Russian women because of language barrier. Unless her language skills are prefect, she will certainly not be thinking about finding a job in the first few months of her stay, which is the best thing to do for her in order to get adjusted to the new country, new setting, new customs, etc. However, once she has adjusted and gained enough confidence that she can find a job and will be able to cope with it, she might surprise you with her effort and vigor.

If your lady decides to go the career path when she moves to your country, you will still have to be able to render emotional support to her. Degrees from Russia are not recognized abroad, so your wife will most likely not be able to work in the same field as she did at home, or she will require quite a bit of training, studies, or practice before she is able to perform the same job as before. For example, medical degrees from Russia are certainly not accepted abroad, and if your woman will be interested in a medical field, she will probably have to settle for a much lower position in the hospital, and definitely expect additional internships, exams, and studies before she can advance.

A lot can also depend on the family status and age of your Russian bride. Older women seem to be more content with having modest (sometimes even part-time) jobs, which allow them to take care of their family as well as to contribute to the family budget. If you are marrying a younger woman, you should be prepared that she will be interested to continue her education and, naturally, go on to have a career of her own. Most women see the job as a way to keep their social and intellectual abilities sharp, as well as a way to not feel completely dependent on their husband. However, most women from Russia will rarely put their career at the top of their priority list and will be willing to put it on hold for family needs (i.e. after having had a baby most women will want to stay at home with the child, at least for some time). Naturally, there will be some women, who expect to be taken care of by their mates and will not be interested to work once married.

How can you know what to expect? The answer is very simple - bring it up in your communication/correspondence. Of course, you should be tactful. Do not say that you expect your wife to pay her own expenses; it can make a woman feel insecure, especially when she does not know if she will be able to find a job. But you can easily ask a woman you are writing to how she sees her future after marriage, if she is interested to continue her career after getting married, etc.